A New Jersey abuser got life without meaningful parole for gunning down his ex-girlfriend as she desperately flagged a cop for help—right outside her home. Andre Higgs, 53, was convicted in December 2025 (second trial) of 27-year-old Latrena May’s 2015 first-degree murder in East Orange, plus weapons charges carrying a concurrent 20 years. Sentenced Friday to life (75 years flat), he’ll serve at least 85%—nearly 64 years—under NJ’s No Early Release Act before any shot at freedom.
The Horrific Attack
May, a Pride Academy Charter School teacher, fled Higgs after an argument on May 1, 2015, at her Tremont Ave home. She waved down East Orange Det. Kemon Lee; as he approached, Higgs fired multiple shots, killing her. Lee returned fire (hitting Higgs’ legs); Higgs barricaded inside with May’s asleep 4-year-old daughter before surrendering.
Legal Path
- 2017: First conviction/life sentence.
- 2023 NJ Supreme Court Reversal: Defense needed Det. Lee’s internal affairs file (past shootings) for cross-exam.
- Retrial: Brave witnesses sealed Higgs’ fate again. Prosecutor hailed Lee as a “hero” trying to save her from her abuser.
No sentence revives May, but it locks away a domestic killer for life, echoing stats that 1 in 4 women face intimate partner violence (per NJ stats). Domestic calls demand instant response—cops as literal lifelines. Justice delayed, but delivered. What’s your read on retrying cases like this?
